Yesterday Andrea wrote a list of why scrunchies are great. I’m here to offer the argument that they’re horrible.
A small caveat, I wear scrunchies to bed sometimes. As a curly haired girl they help keep my curls in their shape so they’re bouncy in the morning. I go to bed, the scrunchy is in and I take it out as soon as I wake up. I also sleep alone, so no one has to witness this admittedly ugly act.
Important to also note, I bought a three pack of scrunchies for $5. Andrea bought scrunchies for $5 each.
Now, I could offer a huge essay on why scrunchies suck, but I won’t do that. Because I believe that Carrie and her friends shut this argument down years ago on Sex and the City.
As you may recall, a scrunchy nearly broke up Carrie and Berger. Who the hell breaks up with Ron Livingston? Obviously a sane person who understands a woman does not wear a scrunchy outside her home.
And sure, some concepts introduced to us on SatC have gone out of style, but not the scrunchy. Just look at what happened when Carrie tried to make amends with the scrunchy in Sex and the City the first movie…
That’s not a good look. It’s like the scrunchies of the world decided to join forces to create a mega-scrunchy to eat her alive for ruining their good name. But guess what? Carrie survived. And she moved on to create Sex and the City 2, where nary a scrunchy was found… not even on the children.
To be fair, I kinda wish the scrunchy won so we wouldn’t have this movie
Aside from what Carrie and her squad taught us about scrunchies, I think one of the reason’s I dislike scrunchies so much is that it reminds me of the ages of 5 to 12. My mom used to sew me scrunchies to match every outfit (btw, so simple to make and cheaper too), so I think of childhood and little girls when I see a scrunchy. And just like my argument against pigtails, I see this as a way of acting like a little girl and I hate when women infantilize themselves.
So what do you think of scrunchies, do you agree with me or do you think Andrea is right and they’re acceptable to wear outside the house?
Me and Halloween, we have an okay relationship. It’s not my favourite holiday, I may say it’s in the top three but if we count my birthday as a holiday (and I do) then it’s bumped to the number four position. I love seeing people put creativity into their costumes and love the opportunity to DIY my own, but I need a house party or some place where I don’t pay insane cover charges and high drink costs to make it worth my while.
This year, I didn’t have plans for Halloween. Well, the day of I did. I was going to a friend’s wedding and the invite explicitly said that costumes were not allowed. Hooray! I didn’t have to think of a costume for this year. But then I found out other friends were celebrating on the 30th so Annie and I joined them.
And then I found myself needing a costume and only a week to prepare. A week in which I had very little time to prepare, may I add.
I won’t tell you what Andrea’s costume was, mainly because I don’t want to embarrass myself with my lack of Harry Potter knowledge. All I know is it included an Elder Wand and that’s a reference to the flower and not someone who is senior. Also, wands are fun.
Note that Andrea wiped the red lipstick smudge off right after.
For myself, I totally phoned in Halloween. I was a cat. Why a cat? Because I wanted to wear all black and I knew that making a pair of ears would be cheaper than buying a witches hat.
It was important for me to make my ears because I like to be crafty and I didn’t want to be wearing some cheap dollar store ears. And, it seemed incredibly easy. And it really was.
All you need to make your own ears is a headband, two black pipe cleaners, lace, a needle and thread. I just formed the ear shape from the pipe cleaners, wrapped the ends around the headband and then sewed the lace to the pipe cleaners.
It literally took 15 minutes. The whole process was so quick that I didn’t even take photos of the process. I like to think that sentence up there that explains the steps is good enough for you to make your own pair.
On Halloween I then wore all black, I like to think I didn’t go as the stereotypical “sexy kitten” and instead had a fashionable and sassy kitten look wearing a skater skirt from ASOS and a crop top I bought from Forever 21 for under my sari a few weeks back. Which I never thought I’d wear again, but you know what, plus size girls most certainly can wear a damn crop top.
Finally, I found some make up tutorials on Pinterest and created my best cat make-up look at home.
Bathroom selfie
Looking at it now, two days later, if I had gone with different makeup and a half-up ponytail I could’ve gone as a plus-size Arianna Grande. I guess I have my costume for next year now.
What did you guys do for Halloween this year? I noticed a lot of friends and coworkers were lazy with their costumes this year (myself very much included), were you?
Nail art always seems like a good idea in theory, but not so good in practice. I’m usually too impatient to let the first coat dry before adding any kind of design, so I either smudge them and have to start over, or in most cases just give up and paint them one colour.
I often find nail art too fussy, I get bored of it after a day and it’s just too much work to get rid of it a day later. I also feel like I need to match my mani to my clothes if the nails are too attention-grabbing.
Bottom line, I can’t be fussed to do nail art. Side note: Are people still doing nail art?
But sometimes, I want something different for my nails that’s more than just an accent nail, so to switch it up I like to do this nail art-esque design on my nails and feel proud about my artistic ability even though it’s easier than a regular swipe of nail polish. Also, super easy to match with outfits because it’s just like my preferred fall dark colours.
Here’s how to accomplish this…
Materials:
Base coat and top coat, I enjoy Essie’s Millionails as a base and Good To Go as the top. I’m not too picky about base coats, but care deeply about my top coats. This one is quick drying and doesn’t get bubbly.
I used Essie’s Licorice for the black and some random blue Sephora for OPI colour I got a few years back. I haven’t tried any other combo’s but I imagine the blue could be switched out with another bright colour.
Rubbing alcohol
If you’re so inclined you could give yourself a manicure with cuticle oil, a nail file and cuticle scissors or something, but I was too lazy.
The how to:
Remove any other nail polish you have on with remover (duh) and clean your nails with rubbing alcohol. This gets any oils or remaining remover off your nails and starts you off with clean nails. It’s up to you if you want to huff the alcohol, but don’t drink it
Paint all your nails with your base coat. Let dry.
Now you’ll work one nail at a time, and you get to be kinda messy, but try to avoid your cuticle when necessary since clean-up is a pain. Dab the black polish on two-thirds of your nail. You don’t want to pile it on, but because you’re not doing two coats you want it thicker than one coat, this also helps with blending.
Grab your blue (or whatever colour) and dab it in the empty space at the top of your nail, using the brush to blend the two colours swirling them a bit. You may need to add a bit more black to help the swirl
The black already blends into the blue as you dab the blue on top
After a bit more swirling and adding of black and a bit more blue
Continue with the rest of the nails on that hand, then add a top coat while still a bit wet to help with the blending.
Let dry and then continue on the other hand.
The best part is every nail is unique. Some you love, others you’re a bit meh about.
Tips:
Avoid drying drops, I find they just make the polish bubble up. That is unless you’ve found a good one, then by all means leave your recommendations in the comments, but I have yet to find one
Because you’re doing a thicker coat, it can take a bit longer to dry so avoid opening pop cans, showering or doing anything with your hands for a bit longer than usual. If you find a way to do this, please tell me how. I immediately want to do everything afterwards.
This is perfect because you don’t need to be precious and the messier you are the better
If you get polish on your cuticles you can wash it off in the shower in a couple hours. I usually paint my nails a couple hours before a shower, the hot water helps loosen the stuff on your skin so while I wait for the conditioner to do its thing I stand there picking nail polish off my skin.
PS: I really wish I made a drunk nail tutorial video for this, this woman is my hero and I’m sad that I can’t nail a manicure (pun somewhat intended) as she does while drunk.
What are some ways you like to switch up your manicure, link us to your favourite (easy) nail art tutorials.
Today marks the first day of autumn, and I for one am pretty damn happy about it. I’ve made no secret about it on this blog, I am not a fan of the summer months so this change of season is welcomed with open arms.
To celebrate, I want to share a love list specifically geared towards fall. Love lists are something I do from time to time to celebrate the little things in life that I love and make me happy. They help remind you to stop stressing about stupid stuff and focus on the awesome. Since fall is one of my great loves, why not celebrate what’s to love?
Sweaters. There’s nothing better than being cozy and warm in a sweater.
Boots. I bought two pairs of booties so far this past month, lets see how many more I can add to my collection.
Honeycrisp apples. If you’ve never had one, this is your only mission this autumn. Life. Changing.
Butternut squash. So I said this before, but I love it. I try to find new recipes weekly to explore with this ingredient.
Rain. Spoken like a true Vancouverite, I love the rain. Sure it gets annoying when it’s been raining 30 days straight and your hair is constantly frizzy, but something about the sound of rain and the sight of it out my windows makes me feel at peace.
Books. I don’t know why, I feel so guilty staying in and reading in the summer. But oh man, is there anything better than a good book and a cup of tea as it pours outside?
New clothes. I never grew out of the idea that you get new clothes in the fall, you then have to wait the first few weeks of September for it to cool down so you can break them out. I bought this poncho at The Gap a few weeks back and I’m so excited to break it out.
The fact that I have never had a Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s my own personal protest against the man or something (when in reality I love Starbucks).
Soups. I made this lasagna soup from Skinnytaste yesterday, it’s legit the best comfort food that’s pretty low in calories and you make so much that you have leftovers for multiple work lunches.
Fall colours. From the leaves and their beautiful changing colours to the jewel tones in clothing.
Dark nail polish. I can’t wear dark polishes in the summer, I don’t know why. Ruby reds, black, dark purples and navy blue are permanent fixtures on my nails in the fall/winter.
The chill in the air. I can say for a fact that there is absolutely nothing better than a crisp sunny fall morning, your breath hangs in the air and it smells like halloween is coming. Just add a park full of fallen leaves to kick your feet in and you’ve described heaven, my friend.
This past weekend I was invited to one of my co-worker’s wedding, my first ever Indian wedding. Growing up in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey, where there are a lot of families with Indian heritage, I’m surprised I went this far in life without attending an Indian wedding. Before I begin this post, I need to point out a few things about myself…
I’m white
I’m allergic to curry
I’m the whitest person you’ll ever meet
I break out in fully body rash from just the smell of curry
Armed with allergy drugs and a crew of Asian friends, I took on this weekend full of festivities. Here’s my how to guide on how to be white at an Indian wedding.
Dress Code:
A few weeks before the wedding I grilled the bride about what to wear. I had been invited to three parts of the wedding, Indian weddings typically last a week with parties almost every day, and I was invited to the ladies party, the ceremony and the reception.
I didn’t attend the ladies party because I had a friend’s birthday party that night, but if you find yourself going to this party you’re encouraged to wear bright colors. In fact, if you’re going to any celebration in an Indian wedding, wear bright colours and be conservatively dressed. That’s the number one tip I can give you for Indian wedding dress codes.
For the ceremony, you’ll be at the temple and if you’re not going to be wearing traditional outfits then it’s recommended to wear a conservative dress, something longer and without cleavage showing. Your shoulders should also be covered. Bring a scarf or pashmina to cover your head as well for the prayer room, you’ll also be required to take your shoes off. Longer dresses are better since you’ll be sitting on the floor a lot.
For the reception bright colours are recommended again. You can wear a dress, but I highly recommend the Sari (or saree) route. I had originally planned on wearing a dress but was super happy with my last minute decision to buy and wear a sari.
The Sari:
Sari’s are also cheaper than most dresses.
Up until Friday morning, I had planned to wear a dress to the Sunday reception. I actually went to Macy’s just across the border in Washington and bought a beautiful royal blue lace dress to wear, but I’ll be saving that for my Christmas parties (stay tuned for that in December). All the girls in my group had gone out and bought sari’s, I didn’t want to stand out as the white girl in a dress (I basically went in to this thinking I’d be the only one of the thousands invited to the festivities, I was pretty much right).
So on Friday, I texted Andrea and asked her to come with me to buy a sari. Let me tell you, us two ladies are the two most efficient shoppers in the world. We were in and out in 15 minutes. Sari in hand.
Buying a sari was a bit scary, so let me share some of my fears about buying a sari so you can go in a bit more prepared if you ever find yourself in the market for one:
Would it fit my plus sized body? And will I be judged when buying one? Sari’s are one size fits all, they’re basically a long bolt of pretty fabric folded and wrapped to fit beautifully. While prepping for this wedding I was offered some sari’s by my (skinnier) friends and I declined, worried that they were being nice but forgetting about our size difference. This is not an issue, if someone offers one or you need to go buy one, don’t worry. You’ll be able to fit and the lady who helped me out was very nice.
How the hell do you wrap a sari? I still don’t know. We paid a nice lady in a hair salon to wrap ours. $7 and a handful of safety pins later, I was wrapped up and safely covered for the night. There are a few videos on YouTube to show you how to do it, one of the girls in our party used one and it turned out just fine.
What about make-up and accessories? This is one occasion not to skimp on your hair, make-up and accessories. I typically follow the rule that you should only wear one big accessory if you’re getting dressed up, to this reception I went with a statement necklace (from Etsy, which I wanted to link to but the shop is no longer available) and earrings from Forever21. I also added three bracelets my mom was gifted from a friend who had gone to India. For makeup I wore much more than usual, including false eyelashes and one of my favourite red lipsticks – Cruella by Nars (from the Sephora Birthday Bonus this year). This is the time to do it up big, I loved it.
Hair did. Heavy make-up. Lots o’jewels. Check. Check and Check.
Overall, I loved my look. The sari was actually really comfortable and once I got the hang of it, I felt better in it than I would have in my dress. When buying a sari you also need a top to wear underneath, they suggest a crop top but others were wearing tank tops as well. I bought a crop top from Forever 21 that was a bit longer than a regular crop top, which helped a bit with the self-conscious feeling of having my muffin top hanging out.
Fun fact: Now that we all own saris we can trade amongst each other for all the weddings we go to.
The Wedding Ceremony:
The wedding took place on Saturday morning. Originally our invite said it started at 8am, luckily the bride told us we could arrive around 10am otherwise we would’ve been at the temple before everyone else. It started off around 10:15 with the groom’s procession to the front of the temple where male members of each family exchanged flowered garlands.
Once inside, there were food and drinks served. Since I forgot my allergy medication that morning I wasn’t able to eat the fried goodies that were handed out, but I did get the opportunity to try some of the Indian sweets.
After this, we all headed up to the prayer room where we covered our heads with our scarves and removed our shoes (they have a room to keep your shoes). Women then sat on the left side of the room and men on the right. As they entered, people would walk up to the temple at the front and bow in prayer.
The groom sat at the front and the bride entered. Having only attended catholic, protestant and non-denominational ceremonies in the past it was incredibly interesting to watch this traditional Indian ceremony, even if I didn’t understand a word being said. It was also different because there was quite a few people still talking while the ceremony was going on and some people were on their phones. Midway through there was an intermission (probably not the technical term but due to the language barrier this is what we called it). Some people left during this part and never came back, but it started back up again after 5 minutes. As previously mentioned, we were sitting on the floor and at one point we had to stand up, which was kinda hard when we were all packed in there and our feet were asleep. There were 5 guys with cameras in the place and I feel like one of them should’ve been trained on us, we had absolutely no idea what we were doing and were confused with the standing and sitting and bowing, it must’ve been hilarious to watch. We had a good laugh
At the end of the ceremony men went around with this mixture in a bowl, we’re still not sure what it was but it was greasy, warm and had the consistency of oatmeal. After this was handed out, it was over and lunch was served. Since there were so many people there we skipped out and went to a restaurant. There wasn’t much of an opportunity to meet with the newlyweds at this ceremony.
Fun fact: only one other white person was in attendance at the temple. We walked by each other twice and both times we smiled and nodded at each other in a way that conveyed to each other that we understood what was up. Also, my Asian friends found this hilarious.
Reception:
The photo booth, a must have for every wedding reception.
The reception was held the next day at a huge banquet hall and this is where we debuted our saris. The décor was beautiful and there were a lot of similarities to the western wedding receptions we were used to. Traditionally the reception is thrown by the grooms family so there’s more of his side than hers. Appetizers are served buffet style and people also come around with plates and plates of food. So much food. So much deliciousness.
As previously stated, I’m allergic to curry. Not in a throat closes up way, but that I break out in full body rash. So I took some allergy meds before heading to the party and ate all the food, anticipating a rash but willing to deal with that sexiness. Luckily the rash never came, so I’ve either conquered my allergy or Aerius is the best allergy medication ever (it really is).
The gorgeous (and delicious) cake
The couple made their entrance and many of the traditional elements of a wedding reception followed. Speeches and the first dance, cake cutting and a slide show. The dance floor then opened up and it was packed with people dancing to Indian music, ourselves included. Later into the night western music was played, but we left around 11pm before this happened (downside to a Sunday reception… we all had to work in the morning). Return of the Mack literally started playing as we were walking out the door.
So rare, I had to Snapchat it
Fun fact: There were about 7-8 other white people at the reception other than myself, they sat at the next table and the women wore regular dresses. One of the guys at the table bobbed his head along to Don’t Stop Believing in a stereotypical fashion during the slide show.
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend. And I almost prefer the idea of a ceremony on one day and the reception on the next. It was fun to have all day to get ready for the reception, but I can imagine if you’re doing this every other weekend you start to resent your weekend being taken up by ceremonies. But then again, we still had a lot of time after the temple on Saturday and before the reception Sunday for weekend stuff.
My biggest take away from this weekend is to definitely go with the sari. I’m glad I made the decision to wear one, mostly because I wanted to fit in, but also because it was so comfortable and fun to experience another culture.
Share with us, have you ever been to an Indian wedding? What were your experiences and what did you think of the sari (if you wore one)?
So Jen and I had an epic night last night. It was epic on our level, so we didn’t meet the queen, or make out with Ed Sheeran (god I wish…) but it was one of our most fun nights ever and thinking back, I feel that there are a few tips we can throw your way to make an epic eve.
Step 1 – Pasta and wine
So in Vancouver, there is a restaurant called Trattoria, and they have this amazing thing, called Trat Tuesdays. All pasta is $11. And their house wine is $5 a glass. I won’t lie, we do this a lot. Secret fun fact, we used to go for $11 pasta after our Weight Watchers meetings. Whoops! Anyways, we usually get the same thing, their spaghetti and meatballs, because they are incredible. I would seriously recommend this to anyone. The only issue is that there is often a pretty significant wait time, but not a worry! Just find a nearby bench and gab until they text you telling you to come on in!
Not my picture. Mine would have had slightly more drool. And a large dent in a meatball.
Gently make fun of the group sitting next to you (preferably under your breath, it is far less fun if they know what is happening). If an approximately 50 year old man has a dye job and haircut similar to Barry Manilow, they are simply asking for it.
The resemblance was uncanny.
Step 3 – Impulsiveness
One of the topics up for discussion at dinner was the fact that I am going to my Dad’s wedding on Saturday and have yet to find a pair of shoes. So after we were finished our scrumptious dinner, Jen suggested that we hit Metrotown (the mall across the street) as there were 30 minutes until closing! We got there in 4 minutes and were shopping in 5.
Step 4 – Decisiveness
We went to three shoe stores, selected 5 shoes, one came in my size, and were purchased within 15 minutes.
It has become increasingly clear that neither Jen or I are very good at stepping out of the shopping box, mostly because of Old Navy. It is the favourite and standby for both of us, and as we had an additional 15 minutes to kill before we were physically removed from the mall, we had time to kill. So we spend 10 minutes shopping, and basically ended up purchasing the exact same thing.
We each got a white t-shirt and some epic leggings, and we were both going to get another top, that I did end up getting but Jen did not. Because she has self restraint, and I do not.
These make me infinitely more excited for fall
You can find the Old Navy Patterned Leggings here. The top I got does not seem to exist online, but I will update it if I find it!
Step 6 – FroYo
So I used to live down the street from Menchies. If you have not experienced this, I am very sorry. Menchies is the FroYo to end all FroYo. It has a single great flavour (Purely Tart) but endless amazing toppings. Jen came up with the idea to go there, 50% because it is delicious, and 50% because we really needed to go to the bathroom, and the ones in the mall closed before we were done shopping. Anyways, stellar call Jen. We also got to witness the coming of age of two boys who were listening to some old school rap, thinking they were real hip and hoppin. So we went back to Step 2 for a hot minute.
Aint that the truth
Anyways, it was a pretty perfect evening, and I was able to come home, and trot my dog around the block in my new shoes without them hurting at all. I hope this is a good sign.
What do you like to do when you get together with your friends? Let us know!
Although this summer has been one of the most toasty I can remember, and I have been going to school all summer, I cannot stop thinking about back to school. I feel like back to school is not just for those returning to school, it is a state of mind. It is looking forward to one of the best changes in seasons, second of course to spring to fall. I cannot wait to wear scarves, boots and sweaters. So on the seventh of August, I am starting to look at the clothes I know I will covet in the coming months, and am going to share what I am checking out. I love neutrals and earth tones for fall as well as stripes and some subtle patterns. I am trying to branch out with my bottoms, as although jeans are my default, I am looking to broaden my horizons. I have been looking on my three favourite sites for plus size gems, ASOS, Forever 21 and Old Navy.
First is the Old Navy. This is where I find my go tos. Their jeans fit me perfectly and are cheap to boot! I won’t lie. I go lurk in Old Navy about once every two weeks. The turnover is so fast you need to! If you don’t want to miss out on a possible favourite.
My favourite. Stripes. Goes perfectly with jeans, and is easy breezy. You can find it here.
So both Jen and I have a thing for sweatpants like pants that can be worn in public without looking totally like sweatpants. And these fit the bill. I love the army green and that they taper in at the bottom. Find them here.
I really really want these. I would wear them with a few of the pieces coming up! Find them here.
Now perfect jeans. These are exactly what I like. Skinny but not skin tight. Fading but not too much. They will go with everything. Check them out here.
Now to Forever 21. Their plus size section is affordably priced, and trendy. I often only find one or two things that I like, but some of my favourite pieces are from Forever 21.
I love the length of this sweater and I love the oatmeal colour. Although this does not look to be the warmest, I think it will be great for early fall when it is still warmish. You can find it here.
Now moving onto my all time favourite. ASOS. I love how the styles are not limited to smaller sizes and they not only make larger sizes of best sellers, but design styles specifically for plus size girls. One of my favourite things is when a friend of mine asks where I got something, and I have to say, sorry, they don’t carry it in your size. I know this sounds cheeky, but meh.
I don’t know about you, but this looks like fall in a sweater to me. It looks like chocolate, and is a bit oversized and slouchy. I can just picture wearing this with leggings, big socks and warm tea. You can find it here.
I feel like this is a top that Elle Woods would choose. Its professional, but feminine and fun. It could easily be worn with dress pants, but could be paired with a cute skirt to make it a little more fun. Check it out here.
This I love. It looks light and breezy but still would rock with a scarf when it gets a little chillier. You can find this here.
Who does not like a good flannel? I like that this has a smaller print and I LOVE the green and blue. Find this heavenly top here.
And my stripe obsession continues. This is barely a stripe though, so it doesn’t really count. I love that the strip is right around the waist, it would be super flattering. Find it here.
And to top it off, here is a lovely frock that is barely a fall dress, but it would totally work with leggings. OH! And a jean jacket. Maybe a cream scarf? Perfection. Find this love here.
Now if only my credit card would permit me to buy all of the above! I may need to choose a select few to find a home with me.
What do you like to wear in the fall? What is your favourite season to dress for? Let us know!
Last Friday night I stopped off at the mall to pick up a few things (sadly, not for myself) and got to thinking about a few things that make me angry about shopping as a plus sized lady.
Don’t get me wrong, plus sized shopping has gotten better in recent years. Growing up I remember my mom shopping in plus sized stores and the only things to buy were horrible shapeless sacks and loud prints. You could forget about finding anything trendy.
As I’ve previously written, in my summer wish list, online shopping is pretty great for plus sizes. ASOS is really great for creating great fitting clothes that are in style.
So I’ve compiled a list of stuff that really frustrates me about shopping as a plus size in most brick and mortar stores. Since I haven’t lived my whole life as a plus sized lady, I feel like I can offer a good look into what it’s like to shop as a Rill Girl who shops in the plus size but previously fit into most of your mall favourites.
Women’s Section
This is the worst. I would also like to hear from the non-plus ladies to see how they feel about this. Have you ever noticed that the plus size section in a lot of department stores is called the “women’s section” as if to indicate that those who are not 16+ are not “women?” And those that fit in the less than 16 sizes are “ladies” I guess.
Underwear
No matter what type of underwear you buy in a plus sized section, you’re buying granny panties. Last week I was looking for some neutral underwear to go under my nobody puts baby in the corner/Dirty Dancing skirt and grabbed a package of boy cut underwear. Instead of being sexy and cute (it’s possible as a plus size, I swear!) they were straight up granny panties. Up to my belly button and did not look like shorts. Even plus sized thongs have a way of being granny. Because when you’re plus sized they always think you need your panties hiked midway up your waist.
Shapeless dresses
God forbid a plus sized lady show a hint of a curve. Instead we’re given shapeless shifts to hide our body, they’re basically potato sacks with a hole cut where your neck should be. If they’re supposed to be fancy there might be some spaghetti straps. And instead of being a potato sack, they usually come in some big floral pattern. Look, these can be kind of cute if you belt it but good luck finding a belt…
Belts
Belts are actually impossible, even online. You can find a belt to hold up your jeans, but if you want a skinny belt to cinch in a waist of a shirt or dress, you’re out of luck.
Flow-y and/or Pallazo Pants
I’m a big believer in skinny jeans. This might be because I’m pretty happy with my legs, so I like to play them up by making them the smaller part and add a longer, roomier shirt up top (roomier doesn’t always equal shapeless, FYI). I’ve already talked about my love of the Old Navy Rockstar jean, a perfect (and cheap!) skinny jean option, so I don’t know why designers keep thinking we want a pant that makes our legs look huge and our bodies look stout. Very few ladies can wear a wide leg, pallazo pant. They’re usually tall, thin, blonde and go by the name Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwen is a lot of things, plus size is not one of them.
Sales
The other day Forever 21 had a Black Friday/ Boxing Day in July sale. It was great, t-shirts for $5, dresses for $8 and my coworkers could barely get their orders in before their desired purchases sold out. I went online to check out if some of the stuff I had been pining for was marked down and much to my chagrin (and my bank statement’s joy), the plus sized clothes were not on sale. Not one markdown in my beloved Forever 21+ section. This isn’t a first, for some reason stores will often mark up the plus sized sections (claiming it’s the extra fabric and manpower to design/make bigger garments) and then exclude us from discounts.
Loud Prints
Look, I like a print. In some situations they can help your outfit look trendy or make a boring pair of jeans look like you’re doing something completely different. But almost every damn plus size shirt is in some loud print. I’m not sure why, because shapeless clothing tells me that plus size designers want larger ladies to hide themselves, but the ugly prints call so much attention to them. And it’s not the good attention like “she looks great in that” and more like “wtf is she wearing, that’s horrible.” You’ll usually see these in loud florals or whatever you want to call this:
Also animal prints, so much animal print
And random sparkles and sequins on clothes that look like business or daytime wear, but are now supposed to be evening/going out stuff because of the sequins:
Finally, whatever this is
I’m not really saying all of these things are bad (except maybe the lace bell sleeves), I think animal print can be fine in moderation. And a sack dress can be cute with the right accessories and a belt. The fashions in the “normal” sized sections (ugh, I hate that I used that word) take a lot of these elements and make them work, dare I say make them trendy. And to be honest, I’m happy to say that finding images online for this post was kind of hard because when I Google and Pinterest searched for “ugly sack dresses” and “plus sized floral patterns” and the like I actually had to sort through a lot of images where the clothes were pretty cute.
Maybe there’s hope for us yet.
Let us know in the comments what your plus-size shopping pet peeves are.
We are at the time in our lives where our newsfeed are filled with weddings, engagements, and babies. This has really just started for me in the last year, and it confuses me more and more each time I come across these things. Mostly because, at 25, I am a full time student with no job and could not imagine being at the point in my life where I appear to be a grownup. I honestly feel that when I do get married, and have kids, I will still feel 18. One example of this was going to the liquor store to buy beer for a party that my mom was hosting, and I took her wallet instead of mine. Obviously I was very concerned that I would not be able to complete the task as I had no way of proving that I was over the age of 19. The girl in front of me was asked for I.D. and then, when my turn came, I was not. I was both proud and disappointed at the same time. Which all comes down to the fact that I feel like a small child, terrified to commit my life to someone else.
There is also, a different experience with your parents. My parents separated when I was 18, and over the years, my parents have both found awesome people to share their lives with. My dad in fact, is getting married at the end of the summer.
Now when my dad initially told me that he was planning on getting married, I had a specific list of things that I would need to be able to enjoy myself at his wedding. I promise, I was not being a demanding pain in the ass, but as a girl with some anxiety issues, I know what I need to get through the day. My list was short and simple. I did not want to be a part of the wedding party, I could bring a couple of friends so that I have a good buffer, I have access to an open bar (this was the questionable one, what can I say, I am a bit of a lush) and I get a new dress.
Now the dress part is quite tricky. I have a number of dresses, but not one that I feel especially comfortable in, and especially not one that is good for the summer. Also, my dads one and only rebuttal to my list of “suggestions” was that my sister and I would be witnesses, and would stand at the front during the ceremony and sign the piece of paper. I agreed. But this makes the whole dress thing more challenging, because instead of just sitting down, I will be standing at the front and theoretically pictures will be taken.
Since finding out about the wedding, I have been scouring the internet, trying to find something that I would be comfortable in. I didn’t find anything that I loved online, so I decided to actually go shopping (which I do not love). After evaluating the different options for stores, I settled on The Bay. Mainly because they have way more options than anywhere else, and therefore the likelihood of success was much higher.
So yesterday, my mom and I braved the department store. We picked up every dress that I even almost liked the look of, in my size. We didn’t hit the plus size section, so basically it was a hit or miss type of operation, as I am just on the borderline. It is a challenge, because I typically wear neutral colours, especially black and white, and neither of which I believe are appropriate for a wedding. So I had the entire freaking rainbow of taffeta, chiffon, and jersey under my arm when we entered the change room.
As per usual, the process is slightly demeaning, as you try to squeeze your body into things that fit in some places, and don’t in others. Things that don’t make you feel your best. In the end, I settled on one of the first frocks that I tried on. It is a sweet yellow dress and I feel almost like the grown up that I deny being. I love the sunny colour, and the lace and the fact that it is not my typical fit and flare type dress. Check it out here.
And then there is me in said dress. And the recommended shoes from Jen. Manolo HO!
What are your dilemmas with dressing for a formal occasion? What are some tips and tricks you have to make the choice a success?
The Rill Girls 